I got used to the "it just works..."

I used to read with amusement the troubles people get with their Android phones, windows computers and "tablets" (I still despise the word "tablet").
There was a true face-palm moment when my mother-in-law who refused to buy an iPad showed off her "tablet" and we all sat around waiting for it to start-up...and then when it had finally finished, all the scrolling was jerky.
I wanted to shout, "I told you so", but politeness prevailed and I found myself saying "ooh" and "wow" in the right places instead...

iPad has instant-on and it just works and works lovely.

"It just works" really was a thing that Apple had over the competition.
Steve Jobs himself said this very phrase. It was a big part of what makes up the core values of Apple.
I can't remember the last time I heard anyone from Apple say these words. I'm thinking that they disappeared quietly from the firm along with its former commander in chief.

Yesterday evening I used maps to help navigate to an unfamiliar address and twice I had to switch off the app and once I had to restart my iPhone (5S) - the only time I was glad to be in heavy traffic.

Later that night I spent far too long setting up an iPhone6 for my wife from a recent backup on our mac. For ages it seemed, it just would not play ball.
Could I log into iCloud? Nope..."server authentication error"
...but then after a long while, I was logged in: same password. Same account.

Yes, it's not just a new iPhone model, but a new iOS as well so you might expect double-trouble, but Apple is a company who knows how to do things so well!.
Take the completely seamless transition from my 3GS to my 4S. It was the most satisfying upgrade in history - ALL my settings were restored on the 4S and I was able to make calls and e mail everyone without having to do any rejigging whatsoever.

Have Apple deviated from the secret formula they worked so hard to discover and will the phrase "it just works" make a return to the keynote speech soon?
I hope so.

Up until the Apple Watch, Tim Cook hadn't used "One more thing..." either. Some things are Steve Jobs signature lines, and I'm sure Cook doesn't want to lean on them too much so he can forge his own identity as the CEO of Apple.

As for the operating philosophy, I think Apple still strives for "it just works", but keep in mind that this is a massive phone redesign, with new phone sizes, shapes, resolutions, and functionality. On top of that, iOS 8 is a massive change from iOS 7 in terms of what it can do, and is the first time a lot of functions have been opened up to third party developers. The combination of the two is going to lead to unexpected issues popping up.

That being said, I can name you problems I've had with every iDevice going back to the original iPhone. "It just works" is great until it doesn't. I can't tell you how often I had issues with the stock mail app. I didn't even bother with it once decent third party apps came on the scene. Only now with iOS 8 am I going back to it because of the improvements and integration with other iOS systems.

It's launch time, and no company will have such a massive launch without some problems. Give it time and I'm sure the new phone will "just work" as well as your previous iDevices.

Yesterday evening I used maps to help navigate to an unfamiliar address and twice I had to switch off the app and once I had to restart my iPhone (5S) - the only time I was glad to be in heavy traffic.

Later that night I spent far too long setting up an iPhone6 for my wife from a recent backup on our mac. For ages it seemed, it just would not play ball.
Could I log into iCloud? Nope..."server authentication error"
...but then after a long while, I was logged in: same password. Same account.

Have Apple deviated from the secret formula they worked so hard to discover and will the phrase "it just works" make a return to the keynote speech soon?
I hope so.

Click to expand...

Happens to almost every company that gets bigger and bigger over time.

They initially come out with a simpler product that people love and it 'just works'. But people are fickle creatures and over time people they get bored so, as any capitalistic company works, they need to come out with new features and products to keep people interested and throwing their $$$ at them.

This eventually causes a dip in quality since the company now gets spread thin between various products, projects, and operating systems (remember when iOS 7 was coming due and there were reports of Apple ripping team members from the OS X team to help try and finish it in time?).

Still... even with Apple spreading itself out and making more and more mistakes (Apple Maps, FaceTime Certificate Loss for iOS 6 and below, Pre-order Fiasco, iOS 8.0.1, etc etc etc) I'd still take them over any Android manufacturer out there.

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